


if I could save time in a bottle

by wearealltalesintheend



Series: tomorrow there will be sun [1]
Category: DC Extended Universe, Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Humor, M/M, Minor Querl Dox/Winn Schott Jr., POV Third Person, Past Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer, Star Trek References, and alex should have definitely gotten a BIG raise with that promotion, babysitting these people aint easy, but Winn is having the time of his life on the legion cruiser, everyone misses Winn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2019-09-02 01:37:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16777033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wearealltalesintheend/pseuds/wearealltalesintheend
Summary: "Alex needs a break.No, really. She has so many accumulated vacation days, she could take the month off to hole up at her place and only open the door for the delivery guy bringing her takeout.Because this, this, is above her pay grade.“What is this?” She asks because someone, someone, in this high-level military facility has got to know. “Well?”From outside the room, Brainy bangs– no, sorry, knocks– on the glass doors again. “If I may, Director–”“You may not,” Alex cuts him off, because it’s almost noon and she’s heard at least four version of that particular speech already."or, Winn manages to shitpost through space and time, Brainy learns an inside joke all on his own, as told by Alex, who mostly just wants to quit on this whole babysitting gig.





	if I could save time in a bottle

**Author's Note:**

> okay listen, I binge watched season 3 again, because i can't take the 1 episode per week thing, that's not how i roll, I'm more of the a season per day, so. Anyway, I did, and now I got all these feels again.
> 
> but mainly, Brainy is a gift to this world, and he should stay forever, this is the legionnaire we deserve
> 
> anywho, I wrote this instead of studying for my last final, so sorry if its crappy

Alex needs a break.

No, really. She has so many accumulated vacation days, she could take the month off to hole up at her place and only open the door for the delivery guy bringing her takeout.

Because this,  _ this,  _ is above her pay grade.

“What is this?” She asks because someone, _ someone,  _ in this high-level military facility has got to know. “Well?”

From outside the room, Brainy bangs– no, sorry,  _ knocks–  _ on the glass doors again. “If I may, Director–”

“You may  _ not, _ ” Alex cuts him off, because it’s almost noon and she’s heard at least four version of that particular speech already. “We talked about this. Indigo could travel through the Internet. We’re not taking any chances.”

“Yes, but–”

She levels him with the kind of glare that used to make Winn spout whatever nonsense he had been told to keep from her, and it works, mostly, as Brainy stops himself with a chagrined face, and Alex ignores the aching on her chest reminding her Winn isn’t here anymore. “You are going to stay away from this thing until we figure out if it’s safe or not, got it?” He rolls his eyes, but nods, fidgeting awkwardly on the doorway. Good enough. She knows how to pick her battles. “Great. Now, anyone wants to start talking?”

One of the scientists, a nervous-looking woman, straightens from where she had been examining the sealed cylinder and adjusts her glasses before speaking up, “I believe this is made from some sort of metallic alloy, possibly ferrite, but we are still identifying its components.”

“It’s a faraday cage,” Brainy calls loudly from the hallway, “possibly made out of dark ferrite– an alloy of ferrite with an alien metal that will not be discovered until the 27th century, but I should not tell anything else, as Mon-El says  _ spoilers _ . But it’s still considered in the 31st century as the most effective material to protect against electromagnetic fields.” He pauses, head tilting slightly to the side, and Alex sighs. “It would shield whatever is inside from any external interference in any wavelength,” a nod to himself, “therefore, I determine it safe from any technological tampering. I shall take it from here!” 

So above her pay grade. The team of scientists handling the cylinder all glance at each other, sharing uncomfortable looks.

Before Brainy could override the door locks and stride in the lab, Alex jabs a finger in his direction. “Whoah, there.” The last thing they need is for Brainiac’s AI plague to infect the past too, or, worse, infect Brainy, after he willingly marooned himself here to escape it. Kara would be upset. Lena, too. And even Alex, she supposes, would miss him. “Are you sure about this?”

“Absolutely,” he says, once the doors slide open, “I calculate a lower than 0,012% chance of this being infected with Brainiac-1’s plague. It is, as you would say, as safe as it gets.”

Alex would most definitely not say that, but you know what? Fine. It’s not like any of their scientists were having any luck in opening the cylinder or figuring out what it was supposed to do. It’s probably not a bomb. She really hopes it’s not a bomb. “Don’t take it out of confinement,” she warns him, just in case, because he’s got the same look on his eyes that Kara and Winn would get before going off to do something stupid. “And be careful, we still don’t know who sent this, or how.”

Brainy waves her off absently, already sitting down at one of the workbenches to take a look at the thing. Since it had been brought to the DEO early this morning, after landing somewhere near Shelly Island, Brainy had been tinkering around with it, but when it became clear it had somehow come from the future, Alex had declared it quarantined. 

She had to admit it, though, the baffled look on his face as he recognized the strange object had been deeply satisfying. His subsequent sulking– no, sorry,  _ a twelfth-level intellect being does not sulk–  _ as she banned him from the lab, on the other hand, had nearly driven her up the wall.

Now, Alex only sighs again, there’s so much paperwork she should be doing instead– she understands, now, the tired, long-suffering way J’onn always carried himself. She’d say it comes with the job, but she’s pretty sure it’d looked a lot less fond before Kara and the others. “Brainy–”

Whatever it is she had been about to say, she’s not sure herself, dies before it’s even fully formed, because the cylinder shrieks with the terrible high-pitched cry of metals creaking, startling Brainy into dropping it on the tiled floor with a loud  _ clank.  _ The room holds its breath as it rolls lazily in a circle and one of the ends drops down like a lid.

“What did you do?” Alex narrows her eyes at the alien, ignoring the scientists looking around like spooked gazelles. She swears to god, they should be more used to bizarre things falling down from the sky by now. And, besides, if it  _ were  _ a bomb, it would have already gone off. 

Once again, the conversation is cut short by the cylinder acting up. From inside it, what looks like a small pebble rolls out, stopping a few feet away and unfurling and beeping loudly. 

Okay, maybe she should reassess the bomb thing– 

_ “Captain's Log, Stardate 43198.7,”  _ Winn’s voice carries before the image can shimmer into life, glimmering as the hologram is projected against the wall. The tiny projector whirrs and it comes sharply into focus, showing Winn sitting on Brainy’s chair at the Legion Cruiser, still wearing the clothes he left on, but a delighted grin is splitting his face, even as he struggles to keep a serious, somber expression.  _ “We have entered Klingon Space, but no signs of enemy ships as of yet. Lieutenant Ardeen, status report?” _

_ “All clear, Captain,”  _ the camera pans out, showing Imra sitting at one of the stations, also fighting off a smile, and saluting Winn with the wrong hand. Then, she gasps in obvious fake surprise, _ “oh no. It seems we picked up a distress signal!” _

_ “We must answer it!”  _ Winn says, dramatically spinning on his chair,  _ “it is our duty and our mission, to boldly go where–” _

The image shakes, going out of focus for a second, and Mon-el walks into view, his cape fluttering behind him. He stands in front of Winn, looking between him and Imra, clearly trying to hide his own amusement,  _ “guys, come on. Star Trek again?” _

_ “It is fun,”  _ Imra shrugs, her laughter echoing like wind chimes in the spaceship,  _ “Winn has shown me this– what it is called? TV shows! And it’s absolutely delightful! And we do have another hour until we reach Earth again.” _

_ “Yeah, man,”  _ Winn leans back on his chair, uselessly trying to grab the smooth sides when it sways, and coughing awkwardly to mask it.  _ “Relax, okay? It’s on autopilot, look.”  _ He waves the blue controls madly around in his usual flailing,  _ “this baby is going straight to Earth, 31st century, no pitstops, not even for snacks– by the way, why is there no food in here? And by that I mean, junk food, not whatever that is on the– I’m assuming it’s the fridge?.” _

_ “There is no autopilot–” _

_ “Whaat? Dude, of course there is, that’s like the first thing people build in any kind of vehicle no matter what century it is, trust me, people are lazy.” _

_ “Yes,”  _ Imra comes to stand beside Mon-el, still smiling,  _ “I think I have seen Brainy use it before as well.” _

_ “But,”  _ and now Mon-el frowns like he’s being told Christmas was canceled,  _ “he said there was no autopilot, that’s why I couldn’t drive it!” _

_ “Well,”  _ Winn drawls, drawing out the vowel in the annoying way he always does and Alex absolutely does not miss,  _ “seems like your bro just doesn’t trust you with his ship. I mean, this is a pretty sweet ride. Like, the Porsche of ships, probably. Although, I haven’t seen that many ships, so, I can’t really judge right now, so, yeah.” _

_ “I think it is because of the time Mon-el crashed the old cruiser into a moon,”  _ Imra nods sagely, patting her– husband? Ex-husband?– comfortingly on the shoulder.  _ “Neither Lyle nor Brainy have quite forgotten about it yet.” _

_ “That was not my fault–” _

Then, the camera catches Winn’s attention, causing him to squint at it,  _ “I think this is actually recording, hang on.”  _ He takes it to examine it and Alex leans back as the close up of his face is projected on the wall, followed by the shining white floor of the ship, but, because it’s Winn, he keeps talking,  _ “where is it, where is it, come on. Who had the brilliant idea to delete the tiny red light? How am I supposed to know– it is! It’s recording! Ha, look, we’re vlogging! Hey, you know what we should do? We should send it to–” _

It cuts off there, the small projector whirrs again, beeps, and curls back into a ball.

And Alex is left staring at the blank wall, trying to process everything. 

She isn’t sure if she wants to laugh or to cry, so her body settles without her permission on chuckling wetly, her chest aching in the familiar way it always does when she lets herself admit that Winn had been Kara’s friend first but had wormed his way into her heart like an annoying little brother she never got to have, and now she misses him fiercely. 

Brainy is the first to move, bending down to pick up the tiny projector, and now that Alex feels less like a balloon is about to burst on her lungs, she notices she and Brainy are the only ones left in the room. He frowns down at it, and Alex remembers, suddenly, of his confession that he too misses his friends. “I do not understand what these Star Treks are, but I assume it is yet another movie reference,” he sets it down on the workbench beside the cylinder and the lid, “or what vlogging is. But I believe we should call Supergirl and the others?”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Alex shakes her head, pulling up her phone to text them, “they will want to see this. I can’t believe Winn sent a message from the future.”

“I have to admit I am surprised as well,” Brainy says, his hands forming the triangle in front of him in his usual way, “although, I suppose there is little reason for us to be. I would not have sent Winslow to take my place in the Legion if I did not believe him to be remarkably qualified for the task.”

That gives her pause.  _ That  _ was a compliment if she’s ever heard one, and coming from Brainy it’s practically high praise. She’s not sure she’s seen him talk about anyone like this, except maybe Kara, and that’s mostly because Mon-el instilled some hero worship for her in all the legionnaires. “Is that so?”

“Indeed,” he nods, the suspicious tone in her voice clearly going way over his head. Alex wonders if she should outright ask him about it, but dismiss the idea. If anyone had asked her about Maggie before she had come out, she would have denied it until she went blue in the face. Maybe waiting it out is the best right now, especially considering, well, their situation. 

She’s still mulling over it, when Brainy huffs a laugh, which is a strange sight all in itself, as humor is more often than not completely lost on him. He notices her confused look and laughs again, gesturing the cylinder, “I believe this is what you would call an inside joke, is it not?”

Her lips twitch. “An inside joke?”

“Yes!” He gestures the projector, “it is a  _ message,”  _ then the cylinder, “on a  _ bottle!” _

The memory of Kara’s dangerous mission to Fort Rozz, so many months ago, when they were all still learning how to work with each other, is hazy, fogged by her worry over Ruby and the bone-drenching fear her sister had barely escaped with her life. She hadn’t been there at the time, busy looking after Ruby, but she remembers Winn smirking victoriously as he told her the story afterward over the rim of a beer bottle at the bar.

But knowing Winn, and knowing Brainy, Alex thinks he might be right on this. It sounds like the kind of unnecessarily complicated joke he’d enjoy. So, she smiles what she hopes is a supportive smile, “well, look at you, making inside jokes, already!”

Brainy clears his throat, seemingly unfazed, but Alex’s been working with him for the past couple of months, she can see the proud set of his shoulders and the pleased look on his eyes, image inducer and all. “This is fairly new for me, I confess I’m not sure how to proceed.”

These people are going to be the death of her, Alex is sure. She might not have Kara’s bleeding heart, but come on. “Usually, here on Earth,” she tells him, “when we get a message– a letter, an email, anything like that– we answer. So, I’m assuming if Winn can send us a message, we can send him something back?”

“It would be logical, yes,” he agrees, twisting the lid back to close the cylinder, its walls seemingly smooth again. “If one possessed the knowledge of how it worked in the first place, that is.”

Hold on. “You don’t know how to he did it?” Oh man, Winn would never let him live it down if he were here. “But can you figure out a way?”

“Of course,” Brainy scoffs, sending Alex a look that said exactly what he thought of her doubting his ability to know everything that is to know under the sun. Under  _ all  _ the suns. “It will not take long, I need only to run a few tests, trace what kind of radiation it encountered on the way, perhaps– I shall investigate further on my lab!” Alex narrows her eyes, and he backtracks, “in  _ a  _ lab! An entirely arbitrary laboratory in this facility, chosen completely at random out of the fifteen different workrooms presently active on this building, and not, say, on a lab appropriated for personal researches and experiments.”

Alex raises one eyebrow, “of course not,” she fights off a smile, swallowing down her amusement. “That would be something I’d have to report to Colonel Haley, and she would have it shut down.”

“Which would be an unfortunate ordeal, yes,” he clears his throat again, squinting at her in a way that Alex thinks he might not have completely understood what she meant, but maybe gotten a general idea. “I must start now, then.” 

The glass doors slide open, and Alex watches as Brainy gathers the cylinder on his arms as if he’s afraid it will shatter at the slightest touch, and winces when he leaves, announcing in a loud voice, “ah, this  _ completely random  _ laboratory is adequate, I shall use this one!”

Alex wonders if she can assign herself a week of license, it doesn’t even have to be paid.

**Author's Note:**

> hey you made it! I'm still not sure if i'm going to continue this or not, so maybe chime in if you guys want a sequel?
> 
> if you liked it, maybe leave a kudo or a comment? Those seriously make my day!
> 
> or, you can come talk to me on [my tumblr](http://rad-hoodd.tumblr.com/)
> 
> and hey? thanks.


End file.
